Pause,

Prompt,

Praise

Strategies for reading at home.

Before Reading• Set aside time to read every day.

• Focus on making this your special time together. Turn off the television and cell phones.

• Help your child pick interesting books.

• Find a comfortable place to read.

During Reading• Look at the pictures and talk about what

you see.

• Discuss what you are reading with your child.

• Relax and have fun!

After ReadingTalk and ask questions about what you’ve read:

• What was your favourite part?

• What picture did you like the best?

• Does this story remind you of anything?

• Did you like reading this book?

• Do you want to read it again?

Keep Reading Interesting• Read a variety of materials (books, comics,

recipes, magazines, signs, flyers).

• Take turns and re-read favourites with your child.

• Visit the public library and get a free library card.

• Talk to your school librarian or teacher about reading material for your child.

• Be supportive and enthusiastic about reading.

• Remember: it is important that children see adults reading as well!

Family Reading Supports

Read Together Every DayPRACTISE ...

Learning begins with the family. The family is a child’s first teacher.

Saskatchewan Literacy Network

www.saskliteracy.ca

Supporting Children’s Literacy Development Shortened Link: bit.ly/ChildrensLiteracy (located on edonline.sk.ca website)

Saskatchewan Reads For additional supports and to download this brochure, visit: www.saskatchewanreads.wordpress.com

PRACTISE ... PRACTISE ... PRACTISE ...

Prompt to give your child clues to help them figure out a word.

If your child cannot read a word or does not read it correctly, you can ask your child:

Does it look right? Does it sound right? Does that word make sense? Can the pictures help you?

If your child still has difficulty with the word after prompting, tell your child the word and continue reading.

Keep giving prompts when your child needs them.

Prompt PraisePause

Reading is like playing sports. To read or play well, you have to:

Pause and give your child some time to think about a way to read hard words.

Tell your child to look closely at the first letter or letters of a word.

Count to five, silently and slowly, to give your child time to figure out a word.

Be patient. Give your child time to say the word.

Praise your child’s reading efforts and successes.

When praising your child’s reading, it is helpful to tell your child why he or she read well. For example, you might say:

That was great reading tonight!

I like how you didn’t give up.

When things were not making sense, I like how you stopped to think about what you read.

Pause, Prompt, Praise is based on:

McNaughton, S., Glynn, T., & Robinson, V. (1987). Pause, Prompt and Praise: Effective tutoring of remedial reading. Birmingham, UK: Positive Products.